Cynthia Cloud
2017 HONOREE

State Auditor, Wyoming

Cynthia Cloud hadn’t planned to run for state auditor. As the owner of a successful construction and design firm in Cody, Wyo., she had more than enough to fill her plate. But when the incumbent auditor stepped aside to run for governor in 2010, Cloud decided to seek the office. She narrowly beat an opponent in the Republican primary and was unopposed in the general.

The first certified public accountant to serve as Wyoming state auditor, Cloud has leveraged her professional background to increase government efficiency. “I constantly tell my staff, we are not getting any more money and we are not getting any more people,” she says. “So we need to work smarter.”

She has trained workers in data entry, switched some services to paperless transactions and streamlined the auditing process.

Cloud has also served on the State Loan and Investment Board, which provides grants for local projects. A longtime advocate for expanding medical infrastructure, she recalls a poignant moment when, after weeks of hard work, she was able to announce funding for the expansion of a failing hospital. “There were tears of joy and happiness because it meant so much to the community,” she says.